Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1887-02-05

nero was my opportunity 20 ''fun
down" deer a Ia Mdllison. So / struck
out or the spoor. found out where
the fawn had pulled up behind q tree
top, as soon as he observed that the dog
had ceased baying. The tracks in the
snow showed that he had stood, partially
hidden, peering round the top down hia
back track, ready to jump on the first
appearance of the dog. I appeared,
however, instead, but he jumped just
the same, though I did not see him.
Then q race began which lasted till night
fall.
1t was perhaps 10 o'clock. The deer
when I started him shot of in north
easterly course and ran about eighty
rods before halting to reconnoitre again.
I walked pretty fast and without much
care or expectation of getting an early
shot. Then I came to where he had
stood again watching me, but SO covered
as to prevent my seeing him. Away the
little fellow fe 4, keeping steadily to-
ward the northeast. It was hard walk
ing in the snow, but I stood manfully to
the work, mentally fixing on 4 o'clock
as about the hour when I would knock
the tar out of hat deer. When making
these stops, he would always seek high
ground seldom stand in the open, but
generally place himself behind tree, a
log or an old top from whence, with
nothing but his head exposed, he would
warily watch for my advance. Long be-
fore could possibly be in q position to
discover him, of he would go. This
work was kept up three Or four hours,
and the boy began to flag. His runs be-
came shorter and shorter, and he now
practiced the trick of making half cir.
Gle and running around to within few
rods of his back track and there hiding
and resting while I toiled up to and no
doubt sometimes right past his stand. l
took great interest in noting all these
turns and twists as shown by his tracks
in the snow-to avoid What he seemed
instinctively to know was great danger.
And while I now began. to follow with
more caution and to watch sharply, not
a hair of the deer could I see. I began
to feel pretty tired myself. Our general
course was northeast, right directly away
from home, and I didn't like the direc-
ton bit, inasmuch as we were now ten
miles or more froM camp. So I present
ly circled off to the left and around a
small hill to cut off the deer at point
where felt morally certain he would
make another stand. Here I worked
with great caution, with intent to end
the game right then and there if possible.
I sneaked and almost crawled through the
brush and snow clear around to the east
of his probable stand, and then moved
down upon it. But I was unlucky; the
wind was unfavorable and the deer must
have scented me-he was off before I
sighted him. However, the maneuvre
had one desired result; it turned the
chase square around to the southwest
and toward camp. Then I pressed the
little boy harder and kept him moving
faster and faster. This going toward
home gave me great heart, the more 90
as I saw plainly that the deer now
made his short runs with growing reluc-
ance and walked good share of the time.
After making about two-thirds of the
distance back, some of it actually in our
original trail up, I began to look out
again for shot. But despite every ef-
fort and the best laid plan, the fellow
was too nimble for me, and constantly
avoided my sight. Once he laid down
for few minutes toward the back
track-but got off before I Was up. He
must have seen me twenty times during
the afternoon. All this time I kept him
aimed directly toward camp, and I was
hopeful. But about o'clock the situa-
tieh changed. We had got back nearly
upon the ground where the. dog had
started the deer, and here he rejoined
the old doe and other fawn. Ali three
kept together, and this seemed to fresh
ell up my man. At last, after passing
through an old pine slsshing, thought
my opportunity had come, as the ground
and wind were both favorable. got
right down to business, and devoted q |
full half hour to make sneak on the
game. And indeed it turned out to be
a close call for them. I heard them
jump and run close to my left as
crept up out of the slash, gun at full cock |
presented ready for shot, but some
blackberry bushes interviewed and pre-
vented my seeing them. After follow
ing the tracks mile or so, found them
gradually swerve round toward the
southeast, away from camp again. At
asst my heart failed me. The sun was
ow down in the west, and I was yet far
rom home, tired and hungry, I looked
at the deer track, then at the
gathering shadows in the woods, and
lot wishing to lie out ali night in the
now, I then and there abandoned the
'hase and struck for camp, reaching it
ome time sitter dark. II the little. deer
lad remained alone I am satisfied I
hould have killed him at the pine slash
ng. One principal cause Of failure was
hat it had turned cold during the day,
L